Lath-nailing machine



Nov. 30 1926. I I 1,609,227

J. H. VANN LATH NAILING MACHINE- Filed May 11. 1926 8 sheets-Sheet 8 INVZZY'TOJZ y ZQ-IIJZ Nov. 30 1926.

J. H. VANN Learn NAILING MACHINE Filed May 11; 1926 a Sheets-Shet a Nov. 30 1926.

, J. H. VANN uvra MAILING rucums Filed M y 11. 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Nov. 30 1926. 1,609,227

J H. VANN LATH NAILI NG MACHINE il y 11. 1926 8 Sheets-=Sheet 5 Nov. 30 1926.

J. 'H. VANN LATH unmuemxcumn Filer} May 11, 1926 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Nov. 30-, 1926.

J. H. VANN LATH MAI-LING momma 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed May 11. 1926 .RW P

. a m w\ M w m J K as a Q NQQ n m 33? v mu - Nov. 30,1926.- 1,609,227

J. H. VANN,

LATH NAILING MACHINE Filed May 11. '1926 s Sheets-Sheet e (z mes' k Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES H. VANN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

LATE-NAILING MACHINE.

Application filed May 11, 1926. Serial No. 108,442.

My invention relates to new and useful,

improvements in a lath nailing machine, and has for its primary object to provide a semi-automatic machine for nailing laths to wall studding in either vertical or horizontal positions, the latter being generally known as joists for ceilingand floor.

Another object of the invention is to con struct such a machine in two main parts, one of which is detachable from the other, said detachable portion being used only when nailing overhead.

A further object of the invention is to provide a spring actuated hammer of unique construction.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective means for actuating several of the hammers in unison.

With-these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements, hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1, is a front elevation of the lath nailing machine embodying my invention with that portion used for overhead work detached.

2, is a side elevation of the same with Fig.

the overhead naillng portion in place with,

parts being broken away, and some elements shown in section to clearly illustrate details of construction.

Fig. 3, is a top plan view of that por tion of the machine shown in Fig. 1, which is used in vertical or side wall nailing operations.

Fig. 1, is a plan view of the overhead nailing portion.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged fragmentary view of the hammer actuatingmechanism, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 6, is a side elevation of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7, is a section at the line 77 of Fig. 6.

*ig. 8, is a section at the line 8-8 of Fig. 6

Fig. 9, is a plan view of one of the hoppers. V

Fig. 10, is an edge view thereof.

Fig. 11, is a vertical sectional view of the same at 1111 of Fig. 9. Fig. 12, is a face view of the same with a portion of the hopper broken away and showing the details of the operating mechanism at the line '12-12 of Fig. 9.

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied, 15 represents a suitable frame or truck body supported by wheels or casters 16, so that the device-may be readily transported from one place to another within a building, or a room thereof. On this truck or body are mounted a desirable number of elevators 17, each consisting of an inner tube 18 fixed to the body, and an outer tube 19 telescoping over the inner tube and slidable relative thereto; while the interior of these tubes are in communication through passageways 20 in the partition21 at the outer end of the inner tube.

To the upper ends of the elevators, and more particularly the'outer tubes 19, 1s secured the platform 22, which supports suitable brackets 23 and hangers 24, and in the brackets 23 are journalled axles 25 and 26, having sprockets 27 fixed thereon, while in the lower ends of the hangersis journalled another axle 28 having sprockets'29 fixed thereto, and further provided with a suitable operating crank 30. It is to be understood that there are two sets of the sprocket wheels just described, one set on each side of the machine, and over each set of sprockets runs a chain 31, provided with clips 32, suitably spaced and arranged with their open ends opposite the direction of travel of the chain. These clips are adapted to have laths placed therein so that the laths will be carried thereby to the top of the machine and then released, as the clips pass" around the sprocket wheels 27 on the shaft 26.

When released, the laths will pass into and descend between the guides 33 which are made in'collapsible sections, or otherwise telescopically arranged, in order that their lower ends may be maintained relative to the table 34, which will be raised or lowered by the jack screws 35 journalled in the body 15, and having beveled gears on their lower ends; said gears meshing with gears 36 on a jack shaft 38' on which is also a gear 37 meshing with the gear 37 on the shaft "38, which ;also has another beveled "gear 39 thereon, meshing witlr the beveled gear 40 on the vertical shaft-H re which is secured;a-crankwhandle 42,so-that when the latter is revolved, the table will be moved vertically.

On the table are mounted a plurality of hammers transversely spaced to' correspond to the usual spacing of building studs and beams, and are adapted-to propelr-lath nails into and through a lath lllJOSitlOhtl in. front of'themiand supported byrestseo, slidab lym'ounted in suitable brackets 46, and .norina'lly iorced' outwardby springs 47 attached to thejpins carried by the rests, and

- wh'en'a lath is lyin'g. upon there'sts; its upper'edge w'ill be'b'elow'thelowerfeud or the outermost guide member Each ofthe'hammers 43 inoludes'ahcylindrical casing "48,:havinga"filler 49 at its outer feud :with a bore-'50, into which. projectsthepercu'ssion member 51;" formed as a partofor carried by the piston 52,:slidably mounted inthe hammer casing and normall ydorcedoutward'by a"sp'ring53 be tween thepiston 52and the head5l of the hammer'casing;and-in the filler 49 .is' a slot 55 communicating with the box-e160 as. well as with a slot 56111 the hammer casingwhlch, in turn, comnmnicates with aisle-t 57'111tl18 strap 58, and said sl'ot 57 communicates with a slot 59 .in the bottonr'of'the 'magazinecasing' '60, while in thela'tter. isrotatablymounted a magazine'61' provided"witli a plurality of spaced pofckets" 62;about'iits periphery,

which successively.alignwith the slot 59,and

withfthe outlet 63*from1the nail hopper fi l.

The magazine is intermittently rotated through:the'medium of a. gear 65011: the

- shaft 66 of saidimaga'zine, and the gear meshes with a gear 67 fixedto a shaft v68 also carrying a ratchet wheel 69,1'withwhi'eh coactsthe ratchet? 0 mounted on the oscillating arm"7l. This arm is actuated each time the hammer .is withdrawn by means of a finger 72 on the outer end of the pin 73, which is fixed'to thehammerpi'ston and slides in a'slot 74 in'the hammer casingto prevent rotation 01" the piston.

Projecting from the, piston and out er the rear end of the hammer casingis a pist'on rod'75 provided with a 'rack'7'6 whereby the piston may be drawn outward againstthe action of the spring through themedium of a rack pinion-77,'1=otatably mounted on a shaft 78. 'The rack pi'nion is provided with a lug"79 forcoa'cti'on .with the sliding bolt80 mounted in a suitable bolt support 81, such as aidisk, splined on the shaft 78 'so as to rotatetherewi'th. Thisbo'lt has a beveled nose 82 which is normally forced'toward the rack pinion, with which it is associated by a spring 83; while the rear end of the bolt is longitudinally slotted as at 84 to receive the circular bolt actuating member 85 secured by suitable means 86 to the machine table 3st, the said bolt actuating means hav- -ing-acam 86 formed therewith.

, :On the sh-att-78dsaal-so fixed a gear 87 which meshes with a gear 88 keyed to the .-.5shaft-89-so=.a s to revolve therewith and slide thereon. The shaft 89 has a beveled gear 90 fixed-thereon andnmeshing with a beveled gear 91.1lxed to the bearing portion 92 of tl1-e"treadle"93.

'iit' is'to be uiiderstoodthat there" areias many ra'ck pinions and dassocitited 1 parts mounted on the shaft78-asthe-re are h-ammers so that each time-the tread-1e i 93 is "depressedfthe 1shaft' 78will be 1-otated,-and

In order to return the trea'dle and its eom p'onent' parts to their'normal' positions after each operation of the hammers; aspring Q L is attached to a portion of. the bracket 95 supporting the'bearingifor the gearw90,-*shaft 89 and treadl''bearingyandto a tail piece'QG' projecting from the rear of the treadle. During the operations {the platform may be raised .lZO' any desired or-"required height :by "permitting ;a'lI""tO *pass;through the supply pipe 95* from" any "suitable source of supply: which is 'contrfol-led by a valve 96, and-then through the branclrpipes '9'7 *into the several elevators-17; wherethe: airwlill pass through theopenings 20 and act upon the cylinder-19andthe-partitionQl or each elevator causing the. outer eylinders-"torifiy 7 over the inner. ones; therebymoving theeplatt'orm upward.

Next; the conveyor is caused to travel by revolving thecrankfiO and laths are placed in theclips 32, and as said"flaths-rea chiithe outer ends otitheguides33; said lathswlill'be released and 'drop down between the guides, 33 and come to a stop upon the rests 455threctlyin frontof the hammers. Assoon'as a lath has'fallen upon 'the' rests," the trea'dle' 93 is depressed, which will draw back-thdhanr mer plunger and simultaneously rotate the magazine 61'until: a pocket with a'nail -therein aligns with, the slots .leading to thebore of the hammer filler So'that'thegnail'in'said pocket maydrop infront of the percussion member. 51, .so that when released, said percussion meinbenwill drive "the nail through the lath and into the stud. As there-are anumber of these hammers working simultaneously the entire lath will be nailed in place at one time. During these operations another pocket of the magazine 61 will have moved into alignment wlththe outlet 63 of the hopper 64 so that a nail from said hopper will enter said pocket, thereby keeping a continuous supply of nails in readiness for the operations of the hammer.

As soon as one lath has been nailed in place, the handle 42 is given a partial or complete turn, according to the ratio of the several gears connected therewith, it, through the screws 35, will elevate the table 34 thereby raising the hammers to the position for nailing the succeeding lath.

So far the description has related entirely to the structure and operations for nailing laths to vertically arranged studding, and in order to utilize this same machine for nailing laths on horizontally arranged studding, as for ceiling work, I provide an auxiliary detachable frame 100, which may be braced by suitable struts 101, and in each 7 end of this frame are journalled shafts 102,

each provided with a pair of sprocket wheels 103, over which run suitable chains 104, provided with spaced dogs 105 to convey laths released from the clips 32 along frame 100 until properlypositioned for nailing.

These conveyor chains are operated through the met ium of a drive chain 106 passing over a sprocket 107 on the shaft 26 of the main frame of the machine and over sprocket 108 on one of the shafts 102.

On the frame is slidably mounted a hammer carriage 109, supporting a number of hammers 110, which are similar to the hammers 43 hereinbefore described, and which are operated in a similar manner except that instead of a treadle, a hand actuating mechanism or stirrup is provided because of the varying height of the hammers, due to elevation of the platform 22. The hammer carriage is moved back and forth along the frame 100 by means of screw threaded rods 111, one of which may be operated through the medium of a flexible shaft or its equivalent (not shown) which may be connected with the coupling 112, attached to one of the screw threaded rods while motion is transmitted to the other one through a sprocket 113, a chain 114 and another sprocket 115, the sprockets being fixed to the two screw threaded rods.

In using the ceiling portion of the machine. laths with nails stuck in them are placed in the clips 32 and conveyed to the top of the main portion of the machine, where they are released and therefore transferred to the conveyor chains on the auxiliarv frame which will carry the laths toward the outer end of said auxiliary frame. When the laths are properly positioned, the hammer carriage is then intermittently moved along the auxiliary frame, and as the hammers pass beneath each succeeding lath, said hammers are operated so as to lift the laths and drive the nails into the studding overhead, and after such laths have been secured in place, the machine is transported to another part of the room and the opera-' tions repeated.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as herein shown as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A lath nailing machine including a wheel supported body, a platform, means connected with the body and platform whereby the latter may be moved vertically; a table; means to move said table vertically between the body and platform; hammers mounted on the table, mechanism for actuating said hammers; means for conveying laths to and across the platform; and guides to guide the laths released from the conveyor means to a position in front of the hammers.

2. The structure set forth in claim 1 in connection with an auxiliary frame; means for conveying laths along said frame after being released from the first conveyor means; hammers movable along the auxiliary frame; means to move said hammers; and means to actuate said hammers 3. A lath nailing machine including a body supported on wheels; elevators on said body; means for conveying air to said elevators; a platform on the elevators to be moved vertically thereby; lath conveying means to carry laths to and over the platform; jack screws supported by the body; means to revolve said jack screws; a table movable vertically through the medium of said jack screws; hammers on the table; means to actuate said hammers; and means to guide laths released from the conveyor to a position in front of the hammers.

4. In a lath nailing machine, a plurality of hammers, each including a piston element; racks connected with the piston elements; a shaft; rack pinions loosely journalled on said shaft and meshing with the racks; bolt supporting means fixed to said shaft; bolts slidably mounted in said supporting means for coaction with lugs on the rack pinions; springs normally holding the bolts in engagement with said lugs; fixed bolt supporting means passing through longitudinal slots in the bolts and having cams thereon; a gear on said shaft; a vertical shaft at right angles to the first named shaft; a gear splined for rotation with and slidable movement on the second named gear and meshing with the gear on the first named shaft; a treadle; a gear connected with the treadle; another magazines rte receive nails from the hoppers and deliver them to the hammers; said magazines being'eperatedeaeh time the hammers are actuated; n testimony whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

JAMES. VANN, 

